Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: That Turtle Story

SERIES: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes

AUTHOR: C.S. Poe

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 41 Pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2018

BLURB:

Nor O’Brien spends his days in sunny Key West caring for and rehabilitating sea turtles. He doesn’t need anything else in life, expect maybe a significant other to cuddle with after a long day. But recent heartbreak has left Nor salty, and he’s not in the mood for anything, Christmas included.

Then Eugene Montgomery walks into Turtle R&R, claiming to have found a clutch of eggs in distress. Nor is smitten with the tourist at first sight, and at the suggestion of his screwball colleagues, indulges in some no-strings-attached fun. Nor and Eugene are quick to get along, happily enjoy each other’s company, and take in the island’s unique holiday pleasures together.

But Nor would never leave his turtles, not for any man. So when his rebound fling turns into strong romantic feelings for Eugene, it’ll take a Christmas miracle to keep the two together forever in Key West.

REVIEW:

Nor is understandably not in the best frame of mind to celebrate Christmas. Recently dumped by his boyfriend, he just wants to work with his beloved turtles and get through the holidays without murdering his co-worker, Gus, who insists that Nor needs to move on to a new man. When super hot Eugene discovers turtle eggs on a packed tourist beach, Gus isn’t shy about letting him know that Nor is gay and single. And to be honest, Nor can’t bring himself to protest too hard. He decides that a no strings attached, holiday romance with a tourist who won’t be sticking around is just what he needs to get over his breakup.

This story is told entirely from Nor’s point of view, and as such we learn a lot more about how his mind works as compared to Eugene. And I absolutely loved how Nor’s mind worked, especially the way that his random thoughts tended to spill out of his mouth. The dialogue between the two main characters was definitely never dull. Poor Nor had the awkwardly cute habit of spewing out facts about sea turtles whenever he felt overwhelmed by his attraction to Eugene.

The story doesn’t actually have a very Christmas-y feel to it, and that has nothing to do with the heat or the beach and everything to do with the focus being on the turtles whenever the author drew the reader from direct interaction between the MCs. Because seriously. Baby turtles! Scampering across the sand towards the ocean. I mean, a man with a dog is great and all, but a man with almost a hundred baby turtles is a whole other level of adorable.

While this is a quick read, there is nothing incomplete about it. I love it when an author can deliver a short story that satisfies you just as much as a longer book.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press – Single Story

Dreamspinner Press – Full Anthology

Amazon